Afghan soldier wounds 7 US soldiers in insider attack

An Afghan soldier opened fire Saturday at a base shared with US forces in northern Afghanistan, wounding at least seven USA soldiers in the second such insider attack last week.

It comes a week after an Afghan army commando shot dead three USA special forces soldiers in eastern Afghanistan. No U.S. troops were killed in the attack.

Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the Afghan army's 209th Corps, announced earlier that an Afghan soldier had shot and killed four U.S. soldiers inside the base.

According to Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman, three attackers were also killed in retaliation by security forces.

The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven USA service members were wounded but said there were no United States fatalities. "Two other attackers are still clashing with security forces", an Afghan security official told Tolo News.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Achin last week, describing the shooter as an "infiltrator" of the U.S. Army.

In a statement, the Taliban greeted a "patriot soldier who carried out an attack, killing and wounding six American soldiers" without specifying whether this assailant, a member of the armed forces, came from their ranks.

USA soldiers of Task Force Iron, taking part in Operation Resoulte Support, manuever a howitzer into position at Bost Airfield, Afghanistan, June 10.

Nevertheless, these attacks fueled a strong sense of mistrust between the coalition soldiers and the Afghan military.

The injured troops have been evacuated for treatment, the mission said in a statement.

The Taliban have taken responsibility for the attack.

"The idea of establishing a dedicated air freight corridor was taken in view of the difficulties that we have on the ground in terms of connectivity between the two countries". Without calling for the operation, the Taliban fighting against the Kabul regime and the forces behind it have reported it and described the soldier as a "patriot".